Brave Attempt at a First PTR/TR!

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

I must admit that one of my favorite threads here at Dis is the TR thread. I love being able to enjoy the park through others eyes and experiences. Every year I lurk and every year I tell myself that this is the year that I will post my TR. Well, you lucky people, this IS the year! I am hoping that by posting a PTR I will follow through with the actual TR!

So, without further ado, here goes nothing! :yay:




First a little about the cast members: DH: Chance, DS10: Aidan, DS8: Brennan, DS or DD TBD: Cupcake in the Oven (I will be 13 weeks at the time of our trip). Also along for the trip: My wonderful mother, Kelly and my younger brother Alex.


Every year we take an annual trip to the Land in October. Last year my DH and I decided to spice things up a bit by moving the trip into November so that we could experience Christmastime at Disneyland. This trip seemed so much more magical than previous years and our family loved it. So, we have planned a repeat trip for this year so that my Mom and brother can experience the magic with us!


The dates of travel are: Thursday Nov. 11 through Monday Nov. 15. Our flight will arrive at LAX at 11:50 am and will head home Monday evening at 4:25. We will have a rental car waiting for us. We have discovered that for slightly more than a shuttle for 6 to and from the hotel we can afford a rental car. I prefer the freedom of a rental car and it is also nice to run to the store for snacks/drinks. I will be the chauffeur (the rest of the family freaks out when it comes to California traffic, which I don't mind).

We have booked a suite at the Carousel Inn, which will be a first for us. Last year, since it was just the four of us, we stayed at the GCH. I have a feeling that it will be greatly missed this year!


I am not one to plan things down to the day, hour and minute, but I have already booked the Blue Bayou for lunch on November 13th (this is a must on every trip we take). I have heard that the Carousel Inn provides a continental breakfast, hopefully it will live up to our expectations and save us a little moolah!

This trip, like last years, will be another surprise for our boys. Last year we waited until the morning of the trip to tell them. My boys tend to go through Disney withdrawals and enjoy watching previous vacation videos in the morning before school. DH and I decided to edit one of the videos and place it inside the dvd player knowing that they would get up in the morning and watch it. With our camcorder hidden and rolling the surprise was revealed and both boys were thrilled. Here is a mental image for those of you who were not there: both boys jumped up off of the couch, hands flew up in the air, and DH’s piping hot coffee was spilt everywhere. The thought of this moment still makes me laugh a little. Anyway, I am not sure how we will surprise them this year, but I do know that coffee will not be involved! I may have to go borrow an idea from the KOTS thread :ssst:

As a new dis member/previously a lurker I can’t post pictures as of yet, but trust me they are coming! Only 48 days to go, but who's counting? :hyper:

[FlameGirl]

Welcome to the DIS and congratulations on your decision to delurk. :rotfl:

Your family sounds lovely and I'm sure your trip will be just as lovely. Can't wait to read all about it...and let's get that post count up so you can start posting photos!

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

I'm trying! I believe I might have enough posts to add pictures now. How exciting!:yay:

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

Here's a picture of the family from our trip in '08. I had to go back two years because my mother and brother weren't able to join our adventure last year.

(first picture attempt, bear with me!)
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/l_f64e1c87a5dbdc633209be6f5b2c66e0.jpg

[FlameGirl]

Your family is beautiful!

[Mockingjay12]

Looking forward to your TR! :)

[RedRosePrincess]

Your family is beautiful!

I second that! I love the shirts you and your DH have on.

I'll be down there around the same time as you. Unlike you, I need to plan everything out. I seriously have DL planning OCD! I'm trying to convince myself to start my own but I tend to not take a lot of pictures so I don't like my TR would be too exciting. But I looking forward to reading your PTR/TR.

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

I second that! I love the shirts you and your DH have on.

I'll be down there around the same time as you. Unlike you, I need to plan everything out. I seriously have DL planning OCD! I'm trying to convince myself to start my own but I tend to not take a lot of pictures so I don't like my TR would be too exciting. But I looking forward to reading your PTR/TR.

Thank you for the compliments on the family. We are very dysfunctional when all together, which always makes for some crazy, but good memories.

DH and I made the shirts several years ago and love to pull them out for each trip. We also have “Lady” and “Tramp” but they aren’t as popular. My sister and her DH, who make a trip with us about every three years, made shirts that say “Mr. Toad” and “Mr. Toads Wild Ride”. They are amusing, but not exactly DL appropriate.

I am not OCD when it comes to daily schedules, but I am OCD when it comes to planning the traveling aspect. The OCD makes me over analyze everything that is planned including packing the luggage and booking flight, rental cars and hotel reservations. I started packing three months ago and I have re-booked the rental car four times. It is very normal for me to book three to four hotels before settling on the “right” one. Having four hotels booked at once leaves all my options open. This way I don’t feel trapped into staying at the “wrong” one. Call me crazy... I don't mind :rotfl:

So, this being said, I have decided that we will not be staying at the Carousel Inn, but instead the GCH (this being the 3rd hotel I have booked to date). I haven’t told my mother or brother. I know they were both disappointed last year when we stayed without them. We usually split the room cost, but I think we will pay the extra as an early b-day gift to my mom. I can’t wait to see the tears flow when she finds out!! (There better be tears and I mean tears of joy, not tears of what do you mean we are sharing a room and not a suite?!) We shall see!

[Goofy_Mom]

I'm following along, too. You guys sound like my kind of people, a little off center and loving to live in the moment!!:thumbsup2:upsidedow I would love to stay at the GCH, I just can't justify the cost when all we are using our hotel for is sleeping and showering. Maybe one day when I realllly feel like spoiling my family, after I get my engineering degree and awsome job.:cool1::woohoo:

So, to het a little personal, I'm currently busting my booty to regain a more "respectable" size and doing a good job. I was curious what you do to stay in shape and your hight/build size. I'm 5'8" with a large frame (German geans). I'll completley understand if you tell me to mind my own buisness, but if you feel like sharing. . .

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

I'm following along, too. You guys sound like my kind of people, a little off center and loving to live in the moment!!:thumbsup2:upsidedow I would love to stay at the GCH, I just can't justify the cost when all we are using our hotel for is sleeping and showering. Maybe one day when I realllly feel like spoiling my family, after I get my engineering degree and awsome job.:cool1::woohoo:

So, to het a little personal, I'm currently busting my booty to regain a more "respectable" size and doing a good job. I was curious what you do to stay in shape and your hight/build size. I'm 5'8" with a large frame (German geans). I'll completley understand if you tell me to mind my own buisness, but if you feel like sharing. . .

"A little off center", that would be putting it mildly! With six of us in a room split four ways (per adult and the kids as one and not two) makes the GCH a little bit more affordable. I am only charging mom and brother what they would have paid for the room at the Carousel Inn. It definitely won't become habit that's for sure! I feel the same way. Being conveniently located is nice, but it gets a bit spendy when you only use it for sleeping/showering.


I don't mind the personal question at all...
As for the workout regimen, I workout two to three times a week. I usually start with the treadmill or elliptical for 3-5 miles and then throw in some light weights. I think being a picky eater helps cut back on calories. I also try to avoid too many carbs. (So what if I come off a little bit out of whack when I pull the top bun off my hamburger!) Several meals/snacks throughout the day, but healthy snacks AND drink lots of h2o! I am hoping to maintain this workout for as long as possible, which might become difficult with a baby on the way. I would just say keep active. Sooner or later your metabolism will catch up and the only way to maintain it is to continue doing what you are doing. You can do it!

Of course this entire routine goes to the crapper once I enter the Land!

[RedRosePrincess]

Thank you for the compliments on the family. We are very dysfunctional when all together, which always makes for some crazy, but good memories.

DH and I made the shirts several years ago and love to pull them out for each trip. We also have “Lady” and “Tramp” but they aren’t as popular. My sister and her DH, who make a trip with us about every three years, made shirts that say “Mr. Toad” and “Mr. Toads Wild Ride”. They are amusing, but not exactly DL appropriate.

I am not OCD when it comes to daily schedules, but I am OCD when it comes to planning the traveling aspect. The OCD makes me over analyze everything that is planned including packing the luggage and booking flight, rental cars and hotel reservations. I started packing three months ago and I have re-booked the rental car four times. It is very normal for me to book three to four hotels before settling on the “right” one. Having four hotels booked at once leaves all my options open. This way I don’t feel trapped into staying at the “wrong” one. Call me crazy... I don't mind :rotfl:

So, this being said, I have decided that we will not be staying at the Carousel Inn, but instead the GCH (this being the 3rd hotel I have booked to date). I haven’t told my mother or brother. I know they were both disappointed last year when we stayed without them. We usually split the room cost, but I think we will pay the extra as an early b-day gift to my mom. I can’t wait to see the tears flow when she finds out!! (There better be tears and I mean tears of joy, not tears of what do you mean we are sharing a room and not a suite?!) We shall see!

Those shirts are so funny. Mr. Toads Wild Ride :rotfl:

It’s a great idea to keep your options open! I just started packing the other day. I have always packed early for vacations. It just makes the time go by faster. I'm sure with the little ones it helps to get that started earlier.

That’s so sweet of you to decide to stay at GCH for your mother and brother. I’m sure they’ll be happy. And it’s extra nice of you to pay for the difference. I would love to surprise my travelmates (especially my DNephew) with an upgrade to GCH but I’m not sure if I could afford it.

I was going to ask if you were going to get a WOC picnic or dinner package but I guess now that you’re staying at GCH you can just enter early and get the FPs.

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

We had a suite at the Carousel Inn so a room at the GCH wasn't much more. I thought about WOC dinner/picnic plans but I can't justify what it would cost for all of us. The early entry will hopefully come in handy for WOC passes. Are you going to do a picnic or dinner?

I have a co-worker that leaves today for DL. They have Ariels Grotto reservations, but had to pick between the princess meet-n-greet or WOC passes. Makes sense I suppose. With a 4yr and 1yr old they picked the princess meet-n-greet.

[RedRosePrincess]

I go back forth between the picnic and dinner. The kids who are going on the trip are a bit picky when it comes to food so I think the picnic might be better since I won't be spending all the money on food they might not eat. Also we're doing the Minnie & Friend's breakfast so that's another expensive meal that I'm paying for. So based on that I'm leaning towards do picnic.

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

I just thought I would post a few pictures from last years trip in Nov.

Hotel room, view and outside fireplace:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/14761_1292486149919_1163244202_30949426_5678812_n. jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/14761_1292486349924_1163244202_30949428_3556446_n. jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/12168_1299181637302_1163244202_30967912_1211680_n. jpg

Christmas castle, DL park kitty and my boys waiting for the DCA Pixar Parade:
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/12168_1299175877158_1163244202_30967894_7820518_n. jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/12168_1299181597301_1163244202_30967911_4110284_n. jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/14761_1292520590780_1163244202_30949552_1502166_n. jpg

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

Another update: We've (meaning "I") have added reservations to the Carnation Cafe for dinner for our arrival day (Nov 11). I really, really, REALLY want some Potato Soup.

Well let's face it.. I am Idahoan with a cupcake in the oven and I just might die without it. Okay, fine maybe the word "die" might be a little harsh, but it is possible isn't it? The thought of this soup has been giving me cravings for the past 2 weeks. I know I didn't help matters by searching out pictures on Dis. Let's hope I can last another 6 weeks!

[FlameGirl]

Another update: We've (meaning "I") have added reservations to the Carnation Cafe for dinner for our arrival day (Nov 11). I really, really, REALLY want some Potato Soup.

Well let's face it.. I am Idahoan with a cupcake in the oven and I just might die without it. Okay, fine maybe the word "die" might be a little harsh, but it is possible isn't it? The thought of this soup has been giving me cravings for the past 2 weeks. I know I didn't help matters by searching out pictures on Dis. Let's hope I can last another 6 weeks!

You do know the recipe for that soup is floating around here on the DIS, right?

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

Yes and I have it, but it's just not the same. We made Monte Cristos with the recipe out of the Cooking with Mickey and the Disney Chefs cookbook on Saturday night. They taste exactly the same as the BB Monte Cristo, but without the magic. Maybe it's all in my head.. wouldn't surprise me :rotfl:

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

A little bored and very excited. So, I thought I would post a few pictures from our 2008 vacation, which was the last trip we took as a party of 6. I believe we stayed at the PPH for this vaca.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/n1163244202_30408958_1685331.jpg
DH goofin' outside of Indy

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/20533_1347938816201_1163244202_31108557_4289138_n. jpg
Typical picture mom gets when she yells "smile" at any random moment.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/20533_1347938896203_1163244202_31108559_2283181_n. jpg
Brothers turn to goof. I think this was the sugar overload day

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/n1163244202_30408922_4041275.jpg
DS's, 8 and 6 at the time, with M-I-C-K-E-Y

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/n1163244202_30408923_3291221.jpg
Yay for Space Mtn. Mom refuses to ride bc it makes her sick. I love Brennan's hair in this picture.

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/n1163244202_30408924_7735424.jpg
Boy was Brennan happy to run into Wall-e. I know you can't tell by the smile on his face..

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/n1163244202_30408927_6263877.jpg
Aidan's turn to goof

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/n1163244202_30408935_7597864.jpg
Unoffical Gay Day at DLR

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/n1163244202_30408937_4817588.jpg
Brennan learning how to make swan balloon animals on the way to Cali. He studied this page for atleast 10 minutes. Gotta love inflight reading materials!

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/n1163244202_30408954_7801034.jpg
Family photo with Pluto. Gotta love Chase Disney Card Character Meet-n-Greets

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/n1163244202_30408957_3024255.jpg
DH and I

[FlameGirl]

So cute....great photos. I really love the Mark Twain photo with all that red. Hard to believe that is "unofficial"!

[Goofy_Mom]

I love the pic with Wall-E, I want one!!! Where did you find him?

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

I love the pic with Wall-E, I want one!!! Where did you find him?

He was back by Cruella's trailer in DCa I believe. This was 2008 and I haven't seen him since. He was DS's favorite at the moment so it really made his day.

[mariezp]

Hello there! Just thought I would pop over from the November thread! PTR looks to be going good so far! I love your last photo of you and your DH.

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

Hello Marie. Welcome and thank you We will be Disneyland bound around the same time! 38 days left for us.. I cannot wait until we are under 30 days.. then 20, and 10.. well you get the idea :woohoo:

[disneylovingfamily:4]

Hi!! great trip report! Love the shirts!!

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

Well hello :wave2:! Thank you and welcome

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

Our 5 day hopper passes arrived today and they weren't quite what I was expecting. Usually we get actual Disneyland passes and this time we received computer generated print offs. I will post pics below (sorry about the quality.. they were taken with my cell). From reading the "ticket" I have discovered that we will receive the actual passes after they scan the print off for the first time.

I was slightly bummed.. half the fun is picking out tickets based on the characters on each. Oh well, this will have to wait for 36 more days!

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/photo.jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/photo1.jpg

[Goofy_Mom]

bummer, here's hoping you get some fun "real" tickets.:thumbsup2

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

Exactly one month to go!! :banana:

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

After much deliberation and weighing of the pros/cons we have decided to stay with our original hotel, The Carousel Inn. We have a large suite booked through this hotel and the location couldn't get much better for an offsite property. Hopefully the continental breakfast won't disappoint.

So I am sad to say, I have cancelled the GCH for this trip, but there is always next year!

The boys still have no idea that we are going to DL. We did tell them that we would be taking a trip to see Great Grandma in Oregon, which isn't a total lie.. we will be taking a trip, but it won't be to Oregon! Keeping the secret is KILLING me!!

21 days to go! :yay:

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

It's finally November!! Yippee!!:banana:

[Rachael Q]

Loving your report so far. Less than 10 days to go, we still have a month until ours. I am itching to go NOW!

[FlameGirl]

It's finally November!! Yippee!!:banana:

:banana::woohoo::yay::cheer2:

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

This time tomorrow we will be Disney bound!! I can't stand it! I am seriously like the little boy in previous Disney Resort commercials... "too excited to sleep" and keeping this sercret from the boys might make me explode!!

[deejdigsdis]

Yay! I'm so excited for you! All day I've been thinking about how it was 1 year ago today that we left on our long long drive to take our 3 boys to Disneyland for the first time. (And so far only time.) Be sure to report back on how the big reveal went!

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

Yay! I'm so excited for you! All day I've been thinking about how it was 1 year ago today that we left on our long long drive to take our 3 boys to Disneyland for the first time. (And so far only time.) Be sure to report back on how the big reveal went!

Sounds like it's time to start planning that next trip!

I still have no idea how we are going to reveal this to the boys. :confused: Right now they think we are flying to Oregon to visit Great Grma Lou. Boy are they in for a surprise! :yay:

[thealfi]

I love it when parents surprise their kids with a Disney vacation.

I remember my parents when they did that when I was a wee kiddo. It's really the best way to start a Disney vacation.

[pbbecker]

Great PTR! I can't to hear how your trip went!:yay:

[TheColtonsMom]

Doing a good job on your brave first TR. Being part of a family a bit on the crazy side I can appreciate another. Love the shirts! Wish we had thought of it. Still thinking on getting up the nerve to start a PTR of our own so Bravo for getting on it I will try to take courage from you.

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

I'm back! Boy did this holiday season take a toll on me!

To begin, the trip was a blast, but slightly stressful. I will spare the details, but one day into our trip I experienced what I thought (and was told by the doctor over the phone) was a miscarriage. At the time of the trip I was 4 months pregnant and had been feeling wonderful up until this point. Long story short, I found out AFTER our vacation and AFTER seeking additional medical treatment that I was not having a miscarriage, but instead I had a large subchorionic hemorrhage. (I really wish I had known that during the trip!)

Anyway, this put a slight damper on our vacation. I kept a smile on my face and my worries to myself throughout the trip. I did let my Mom and DH know what was going on, but I played it down as much as I possibly could. The last thing I wanted was to ruin a great time for the rest of the family. I am now 6 months along and my baby boy is growing just as he should be.


So, without further ado…

:banana: -drum roll- :banana:

THE TRIP REPORT!

The morning of the trip came and the boys were both under the assumption that we were flying to Oregon to visit Great Grandma (on DH’s side of the family). I thought they both must know that something was up when they found out that Grandma (my Mom) and Alex (my brother) were going along too, but this didn't tip the boys off at all.

At 9:25 am, we boarded the SW plane that would take us to Oakland and from there we were to fly onto “Portland”. On our flight we just happened to be seated by a large family with several small children who couldn't help but tell everyone they met that they were going to Disneyland. At one point my youngest mentioned that he wished we were going to Disneyland too. I told him maybe we could go next year. At this point I was so excited and the secret was killing me.

As we touched down in Oakland the flight attendant did a SW cheesy, but entertaining rendition of Zip-a-Dee-Do-Dah over the speaker and dedicated it to the family who was seated behind us. This really bummed out my boys who would obviously much rather visit Mickey than Great Grandma.

We grabbed our belongings, unloaded the plane and walked to our next gate. The boys were extremely quiet and seemed a little bummed. I asked the boys if they would rather we switch our flight tickets to fly into LAX. They both knew what that meant. Of course they were thrilled and sent DH to request new tickets. As DH walked off my oldest yelled at him, “Tell her you’re a veteran Dad!” It just happened to be Veteran’s Day and Aidan figured this would help ensure that we get a switched flight. I videotaped the boys as they waited for Dad to return and he did with LAX tickets in hand. The boys couldn’t believe it. They both ran over to Grandma and Uncle Alex to tell them the good news. My emotional pregnant side teared up a bit at this point. We boarded our new flight and were on our way to our new destination, DISNEYLAND!!

Once we arrived at LAX, Mom and I decided to head straight to Alamo to pick up the rental car while the boys waited and collected luggage. We stood waited for the shuttle, stood in a mile long rental line, rented the car, selected a car and then sat to wait for the guys for what seemed like an eternity. Finally I received a call from my DH stating that they were at Dollar Rental and couldn’t find us. No wonder they were nowhere to be found! I laughed, but not as hard as I laughed when I saw the look on the Alamo employee’s face as I asked for instructions to Dollar.

We picked up the guys and head to Anaheim. Traffic was moving great and before we knew it we were exiting onto Harbor Blvd and driving right past the park. At this point I am not sure who was more excited, DH or the boys.

We spotted the Carousel Inn, but continued on past to Albertson's. We wanted to pick up a case or two of bottled water, bread, some liters of diet coke, energy drinks and of course, beer. I had already packed tons of snacks for the park as well as some pb&j to make sandwiches for the boys to take with us.

After our short shopping trip we headed to what we would soon learn (the hard way of course) is the WORST hotel ever, The Carousel Inn.

– insert blood curdling scream here - :scared1:

TO BE CONTINUED….

[deejdigsdis]

I'm so glad you came back to this TR of yours! :)

Wow, I am so sorry to hear about the baby stress. :hug: That must have been so hard to be going through that while putting on your "vacation face" and being away from home and your own doctor. (Was it your own doctor that gave you the misdiagnosis over the phone? If you don't mind my asking that is.) I'm glad that all is well now.

You're off to a great start!

[TheColtonsMom]

Glad the little man is coming along well at 6 months. Glad you got back to your TR after all you inspired me to start mine.

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

I'm so glad you came back to this TR of yours! :)

Wow, I am so sorry to hear about the baby stress. :hug: That must have been so hard to be going through that while putting on your "vacation face" and being away from home and your own doctor. (Was it your own doctor that gave you the misdiagnosis over the phone? If you don't mind my asking that is.) I'm glad that all is well now.

You're off to a great start!


Yes, it was my own doctor. The same doctor that told me to go home and wait for a miscarriage when I saw her after returning from our vacation. I demanded a recommendation to another doctor and was sent to a specialist who basically told me that my doctor was off her rocker.

Thanks! Pictures are to follow shortly. I wasn't able to get them loaded earlier today.

[HollyannHeck]

Enjoying the trip report so far, and glad the baby is doing well! How sad that you had to go through thinking you were miscarrying on vacation. Can't wait for the next installment!

[Goofy_Mom]

I take it, the doc didn't deliver your older children. What a quack. I'm not a fan of Carousel anymore either. They used to be a good hotel. . . 10 years ago. Can't wait to see more.:thumbsup2

[FlameGirl]

I am so sorry you had that kind of stress during your trip. I can't even imagine. :(

Also sorry to hear your hotel was unpleasant. We were considering the Carousel for our trip at the end of the year but decided to go with BWPPI again. Sounds like it's the right choice. :)

Can't wait to read more!

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/DL%202010/DSC08038.jpg
Suite with three queen beds and two bathrooms
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/DL%202010/DSC08042.jpg
First bathroom
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/DL%202010/DSC08040-1.jpg
Second bedroom with one queen bed
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/DL%202010/DSC08041.jpg
Second bathroom


Looks nice, right? Just wait.. it gets better. :laughing:

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

We pulled into what seemed to be a very disorganized and tiny parking lot, which was valet parking only. This makes sense after seeing that they parked cars two deep down an alleyway that had no room to turn a vehicle around in. I walked into the lobby to check in while the family unloaded bags. The lobby was clean and eye catching... very deceiving after we saw our “suite”. I checked in and received keys for room 410 aka the worst hotel room I have ever stayed in. The hotel was undergoing a never ending remodel. We sat and waited for the one elevator, the stairs were closed and the second elevator wasn’t operating. The hotel website did mention that they were undergoing renovations, but they did not mention that the entire building was under construction. It was dirty, loud and the paint fumes were enough to get a person high.
After waiting in line for the elevator for ten minutes, we had finally made it to our suite. The room was a little run down, but I didn’t expect it to blow me away to begin with. Nothing compares to the GCH. We picked beds, unloaded suitcases, freshened up and then head to the park.
It was almost 3pm so we had a little bit of time to spare before our reservations at the Carnation Café.

Our first stop…
POTC! It’s a tradition that we always ride this ride first and last. I don’t know how or why the tradition started, but it seems to be a must do with everyone. The line looked a lot longer than it actually was. We rode it once and then let the guys head over to Space Mountain, which I couldn’t ride and mom refuses to ride. Mom and I shopped around a bit and then sat out front of the Golden Horseshoe to people watch. The park was very busy and the crowds were very entertaining. As we sat we put added our own dialog to those who walked past us. This is very entertaining if you find people who use hand gestures or facial expressions while talking. After the boys were done riding Space Mountain they hopped onto the Matterhorn, caught a Captain Eo showing and rode Storybook Land Canal. Once we all met up it was time to make our way back to Main St. and check in for our dinner reservations.

We were seated at two separate tables, which sat back to back, but right up against the railing and Main St. We took our time to order as we knew that the last Celebrate! Parade was due to start and we wanted to have the perfect place to watch it from while enjoying our meal. DH, Mom and Brother all ordered the Café Steak Melt, while I ordered a Turkey Sandwich and bowl of Potato soup to split with Aidan. Brennan had the Mac N Cheese. Everything was very good, but I found the sandwich a little on the dry/plain side, but what the sandwich lacked the soup more than made up for. It was to die for! I find my mouth watering as I type.

The timing of our meal was perfect. We were able to sit and watch the parade. People were not allowed to stop and watch from the sidewalk in front of us so the only people we had to watch through were those who sat on the curb. It was very easy to see directly over their heads. It was great to be able to experience the very last Celebrate! Parade.

After dinner we split up again to let the guys go ride some of the faster rides that I was not able to ride. Mom and I walked up Main Street and soaked in the beautiful holiday décor. I had experienced it all the year before, but it was a first for Mom. She may be an even bigger Disney fanatic than I am so to see the look on her face was very exciting for me. We walked and shopped for another hour or so and then met up with the guys. We wanted to get a good night’s sleep so that we could be up and at ‘em bright and early the next morning. What we didn’t know was that there was a surprise (if you could call it that) waiting for us back at our room….

It was around 9:30 and as we slowly made our way back to the hotel we begin to realize just how tired we all were from the day of travel and excitement. We entered the room and the boys plopped down onto the beds. They probably would have been asleep almost instantaneously if it hadn’t been for Mom’s scream. She had walked into the second bathroom looking for the light switch and almost fell due to a large amount of water on the floor. The ceiling was leaking! At first we weren’t sure if it was sink/tub water, water from the pipes, or from an overflowed toilet. I immediately called the front desk who said they would send maintenance. 30 minutes later he shows up and claims that this tends to happen if they shower in room 510 with the shower curtain outside of the shower. I was floored! This is clearly a known issue yet they still booked the room? I watched as he pushed on the ceiling around the leaking spot, which had begun to sag due to the weight of the water in the ceiling. There was no way this could be from a single shower! I couldn’t imagine the amount of water that was still trapped between the two floors. The maintenance man put a garbage can under the drip, told us he would report it to the manager tomorrow morning and left. No extra towels, no clean up of the puddle, nothing!! By this point it was well past 10pm, 11pm back home, and I was not only tired, but extremely PO’d. Needless to say, the water continued to drip drip drip all night long!

Finally, after tossing and turning all night, I got out of bed at 5am and emptied the standing water in the garbage can. The ceiling was still leaking and beginning to sag even more than it had the night before.. I decided that after a cup of coffee I would call the front desk and demand to speak to the manager.

[tinksdreamwishes]

Dont mess with a pregnant woman!!! :lmao: So I will now put that hotel on my list of places to not stay at! I could only imagine the mold! sorry you had such an awful time- glad to hear the baby is doing great! Cant wait to read more! :cloud9:

[burly]

OMG:scared1:
What was your doctor thinking, telling you that, while you were out of town.
The Hotel room! What!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


popcorn::


KIM

[BeautyAndTheBeast22]

Okay I’m back! Who knew being pregnant could be so much work!! On March 11th at about 3 am in the morning I woke up to use the restroom (sorry if this is too much info for some of you). After using the restroom I was returning to bed when I felt a huge gush. I thought for sure my water broke, but I was only 30 weeks and figured it there was no way possible. So, I went back to bed. In the morning I went into the hospital, not my doctor’s office, and was told after an examination that I had wet myself. Really!? Boy did I feel dumb. I was given a steroid shot and some terbutaline to stop the mild contractions I was having. Doctor’s orders were bed rest. I returned the following morning for my second steroid shot and went back home to my bed. At about 11pm that night after leaking throughout the day I decided I needed to go back to the hospital. After a second examination by yet another doctor we discovered that my water DID break on the 11th. At this point I was in active labor again. My contractions were stopped and I was sent in an ambulance to a hospital in another city, which had a NICU. Here I was told that if I were to go into labor again it would not be stopped. Well one day in the hospital turned into one week, which turned into a month in the antepartum wing. Talk about BORING!! I should have been writing my TR, but the thought never crossed my mind. I thought I’d go crazy for sure. Long story short I made it to 34 weeks and at about 5 am the morning of induction day I went into labor. Kiptyn was born 4/4/11 at 8:54 am weighing 5lbs 2oz and measuring 22inches. He didn’t need any assistance breathing and scored a 9 on his apgar. He couldn’t have been healthier! It was amazing to think that he had been without much amniotic fluid for almost 4 weeks. Good thing he was so cute after such an ornery pregnancy! He spent 17 days in NICU and went home 3 days before Easter. I’ll share a few pics I took below.

SO… as you can see, I have a perfectly good reason for taking so dang long to finish this TR! Between work, family/baby, and summer I promise I will finish even if it takes me an entire year!! Hopefully it will be finished before our next trip rolls around in November!

Stay tuned.. TR to be continued in the next post!
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/230976_2048863658884_1163244202_32610602_4771644_n .jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/216549_2042324855418_1163244202_32596063_3438955_n .jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/215821_2042459218777_1163244202_32596256_6067873_n .jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/229737_2048014477655_1163244202_32609107_1525219_n .jpg
http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a231/CSPasley/248794_2111075374138_1163244202_32687207_6208293_n .jpg

[starshine514]

Wow! Love the picts - your kids (all of them) are adorable. Sorry about the difficult pregnancy. I also had a hemorrhage (on vacation - yup, had to get cleared to fly at the hospital before catching a plane) while pregnant with my second. I was about 2.5 months along and sure I was losing her. Turns out the placenta was just moving (it had been blocking the escape route). They made me take it easy the rest of the pregnancy, which is why I gained an extra 10 lbs w/DD2.

Looking forward to reading the rest about your horrible hotel!

[kylie71]

Loving it so far! Your boys are adorable!
Please continue!